


Promise Of Forever

by ElisaPhoenix



Series: Supreme Family Chaos [108]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Tragedy, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt Stephen Strange, Hurt Tony Stark, M/M, Mama Bear Stephen Strange, Other, Protective Tony Stark, Temporary Character Death, Tony Angst, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23663380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElisaPhoenix/pseuds/ElisaPhoenix
Summary: You don't always know what you have until it's gone.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: Supreme Family Chaos [108]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1364899
Comments: 12
Kudos: 261
Collections: My amazing all time favourites.





	Promise Of Forever

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Daisy_PoisonPen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daisy_PoisonPen/gifts).



> This is for my girl Daisy. I promised a fic for whoever reached the top role in my server and this is what she asked for (some angst with fluff in the Mama Bear AU). Hope you like it!

It was an Avengers level threat. At least at first, so they let the twins join the battle. Even if it was only to help get civilians to safety. Thomas sped off to do as Stephen ordered, and William followed to cover him. The faster of the twins may be fast but he was still exposed so William used his magic to protect them while they got civilians away. Everything was going as smoothly as these things usually went...until whatever fuck ugly alien they were fighting...mutated. It's once exposed soft fleshy spots hardened over and it was like dealing with a Leviathan, but faster. It hit harder and Tony found that out the hard way, unfortunately Stephen could barely spare him a glance as he conjured a shield to protect himself from a tail whipping in his direction as his husband went sailing past him. Any other time he would have been able to slow or even stop his fall.

Not this time. His suit was built to protect him from hits or falls though so Stephen wasn't worried. He was more concerned about getting rid of this creature that went from Avenger level to god level. Thor and Loki were doing everything they could to expose weaknesses and Quill was already lighting up like the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. Considering the hits he was dishing out, it was safe to assume that Scott had been hit and didn't get back up. At least until the thief popped up next to Stephen.

"You're still fighting?" Stephen puffs out with some confusion. "Why is Quill berserk then?"  
"I made sure not to get back up while he was looking. We need him pissed if we're going to take this thing down." Scott responds and the sorcerer nods.

It was a good tactic as long as Scott wasn't knocked out in the future. Tony didn't really enjoy having to use Beast Mode Protocol which was very similar to what they had to do with the Hulk, except Quill was surprisingly stronger. And the Hulk had some semblance of awareness going through his head while a berserk Celestial did not. Only one person on the field was safe from him and could calm him.

"Stephen...Tony hasn't gotten back up." Natasha's voice says over the comm and the doctor's stomach drops.

She only ever used his name when things were serious.

"Tony?" Stephen tries and when he gets nothing in response, he turns to run in the direction he last saw the engineer being tossed.

Quill was doing a good job of keeping the creature occupied, so Stephen was able to drop his shield and go to Tony's side. It took a little bit of Levi's help to get over and through the torn up buildings his husband had been tossed into, and when he finally reached him, it brought back a memory Stephen had hoped he would never have to remember again. It was after the battle with Thanos all over again. The Iron Man suit was sitting up against some rubble but the mask was still up and Stephen only hoped it did its job and that Tony was only knocked out.

"Tony!" Stephen calls a little louder as he moves closer and kneels in front of the suit. "Victor, get his scans from Friday...and send the boys home."  
"Sending scans now Doctor."

Stephen's AI goes silent after that and he exhales shakily when the scans come up showing multiple contusions, a couple of cracked ribs, and most worrying...internal bleeding. Stephen could heal it enough so that it wasn't critical before he sent him to Bruce, but it was still hard to see. Tony's suit was made to protect him from these injuries, and he knew for a fact that his husband would crawl into his lab to fix his suit as soon as he woke up. Probably upgrade his and the boys' while he was at it. At least he wasn't skewered on some rebar. Peter, Scott, and Bucky all had experienced that at one point and all agreed they didn't recommend it.

The sorcerer reaches out and taps the reactor symbol to house the nanotech and then starts a healing spell. While there was always immediate visual progress, it still took time to get people out of a critical state. Time he may not have. A shockwave hit the building and had it trembling dangerously, and it also left Stephen temporarily breathless from the force. It was a sign that either Thor got Quill to team up with him or Scott had been knocked out and the god of thunder took it upon himself to try and tire the celestial out. He couldn't use the creature's cry of pain as an indication since not all of their enemies screamed out before breathing their last.

It didn't take long for him to notice that his magic wasn't doing what it was supposed to. Absolutely nothing had healed. Not even bruises and it had Stephen panicking. He turned to try and open a portal to the medbay, but his panic just made his magic spark uselessly.

"Stephen." Tony calls hoarsely and the doctor looks back at him with wide eyes. He never called Stephen by his name unless he was being serious.  
"It's okay. We'll get you to Bruce. I'll get someone's atten--" 

Stephen stops mid sentence when his husband lifts a hand to grab his arm. He didn't even remember reaching out to cup the engineer's face in a shaky hand, but there it was. It felt _wrong_. He remembered this and he didn't like it because if Tony died here, he couldn't fix it again. He didn't have the time stone since it had been returned to its original timeline, and Diana was far too inexperienced to use her time magic like that.

"Stephen--" Tony repeats in a whisper and Stephen grits his teeth.  
" _Don't!_ I'm getting you home and you're going to drive me and Bruce crazy by leaving the medbay as soon as we stop the bleeding. Someone come help me! We're in the building south of the bridge!"

Tony laughs wetly and the sorcerer watches in trepidation as blood trickles out the side of his mouth. _He was drowning in his own blood._ Stephen tries his magic again after calming himself and bites back a cry of dismay when nothing continues to happen.

" _Tesoro_..."  
"I can't lose you again Tony. I can't. Not like this and not so soon after I got you back. You're dying of old age or caffeine overdose from your coffee because that's one thing you refuse to listen to me about!"  
Tony grips Stephen's arm a little tighter to get his attention. "It's okay."  
"No! It's not okay! We're not doing this! I'm not raising Valerie by myself! I'm not raising six children by myself you douchebag!"

Stephen finally releases the sob he had been holding back as he drops the hand he was using to try and heal his dying husband, and the tears flow freely when Tony lifts his scarred arm. Fingertips rough from years of tinkering and building and occasional burns brush away his tears.

"Y-You can't...you have no idea how Harley, Peter, and Diana took your death the first time!"  
"They don't remember--"  
"I do! I can't go through that again!" Stephen whimpers and Tony smiles weakly after coughing up a little more blood to clear his lungs.  
"You'll be okay Duchess. You've got the team. Friday and Victor--" 

He coughs some more and Stephen clenches his eyes shut against more tears as he leans forward to rest his forehead against Tony's. He could hear every breath the older man took come out as a wheeze and he hated it. He hoped that someone would reach them in time to get Tony the help he needed, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew it wouldn't happen. He was going to lose one of the best things that happened to him. He found a friend, a _lover_ in the last place he thought he would. He loved discovering the sides of Tony that very few if not just him knew about the billionaire. His weird quirks, his unhealthy obsession with coffee...and what an amazing husband and father he could be. Behind all the snark and sarcasm was a heart of gold. A man who pulled Stephen out of his misery and showed him that he could be loved...that he was so much more than his hands. 

He needed Tony.

"Hey…" Tony rasps out in a whisper that Stephen had to strain to hear. He opens his eyes to meet chocolate ones, and his tears flow freely again at the look of adoration and complete unadulterated love held in them. "I love you."  
"I love you too." Stephen chokes out. He grips the front of Tony's shirt as the engineer places a soft kiss on his cheek.

The final breath that escaped past Tony's lips after that seemed like the loudest thing Stephen had heard. He completely forgot about the trembling of the building around him, about the sounds of fighting...all he heard was that one breath and it was heart shattering. He felt a part of him die with Tony at that moment.

"Please…" He begs helplessly. "Please don't leave me…"

He broke after that. He sobbed openly and shamelessly let his tears fall as he chanted his husband's name over and over until it turned to begging...to shouting.

"TONY!"

Stephen wakes with a scream and a sweat soaked brow and he chokes on his breath as he looks around the pitch black room frantically. His breaths come short as the light comes on and a baby wails from its crib, and he jumps when strong arms wrap around him. Stephen looks to see who's holding him and sobs when he finds himself looking into familiar brown eyes. Eyes that were full of life and worry, and had Stephen clinging to his very alive husband desperately. It had all been a dream, but it was so vivid that he was having a hard time shaking it off and clawing his way back to reality. He hardly registered some muted talking before the baby's wails faded to nothing and all he could hear was the sweet sounds of Tony's breathing and his _heartbeat_.

"It's okay honey...it was just a dream."

Tony continued to hold him and whisper sweet nothings into his ear, and even though most of it was in Italian, it was soothing instead of sexual. The kisses peppered across his forehead and the hand rubbing up and down his back helped bring Stephen back fully into the waking world. It took a little over an hour, but his tears finally slowed to a stop and he had long since stopped hyperventilating. Only then did he question where the baby disappeared to.

"Harley took her to his room. She'll be okay." 

Stephen nods and releases a shaky sigh, going with Tony when he moves to lay them down. He pulls the sorcerer close and Stephen lays his head on his husband's shoulder and presses as close as possible to the engineer as he lays his arm over the older man's chest and intertwines his legs with Tony's. Tony gently cards his fingers through Stephen's hair to further soothe him, and the couple lay like that for another hour until Stephen finally relaxes into his hold and willingly tries to fall asleep again.

"I love you." The younger whispers.  
Tony gently kisses his forehead and brushes away the last remains of Stephen's tears with his damaged arm. "I love you too. Forever."

Forever still wasn't long enough.


End file.
